Telescoping brush and holder



Oct. 18, 1966 B. FRAZIER TELESCOPING BRUSH AND HOLDER Filed May 17, 1965 INVENTOR BENJAMIN L.F0A2IE Z ATTOQNEK United States Patent ()ffice 3,278,965 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 3,278,965 TELESCOPING BRUSH AND HOLDER Benjamin L. Frazier, 724 S. Pacific St., Oceanside, Calif. Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,446 5 Claims. (Cl. -184) This invention relates to a telescoping brush and holder and more particularly to a telescoping brush and holder wherein the brush portion may be extended to a rigid positive position and thereafter be telescoped into the designs and constructions take many forms most of which are complicated, difiicult to assemble and use, expensive to make and yet are not rigid or positive in the extended operating position. Several prior art retractable tooth brushes use wedge type slot engagements for holding the brush portion in the extended position. Other retractable tooth brushes, for example, use rollers that drop into spherical slots to lock the brush portion in the extended position. All these prior art constructions not only require a rather cumbersome and diflicult to construct extensible mechanism that is costly to make, but usually the locking mechanism does not lock. Further many of the collapsible tooth brushes utilize single or inline looking devices that while capable of guiding the extensible member in its extended telescoping position, have little or no lateral strength. Thus such lateral constructions are unable to maintain positive alignment of the extended brush portion and can not provide a solid .and rigid structure when extended It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved and novel telescoping brush and brush holder.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved and novel ex-tendable tooth brush that when extended provides a rigid structure that is positively locked in the extended position.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved and novel extendable tooth brush construction wherein the brush portion when extended is rigidly locked without the use of movable elements other than the movemen-t of two telescoping members.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved and novel extendable tooth brush that when extended is locked on the four corners of a substantial section of the brush portion providing rigid lateral stability.

This invention concerns a telescoping brush and holder. The telescoping brush comprises two telescoping members with one solid member having a brush thereon. This solid member telescopes within a longitudinal hollow U shaped receiving member. Both of the telescoping members, when telescoped, comprise a compact unit that fits into an appropriately shaped housing. One of the two telescoping members has a square portion that snaps into position between four inwardly projecting ears on the other member that holds the square portion and thus the extended unit in a rigid fixed position. The entire unit may be collapsed and telescoped by applying appropriate force to the opposite ends of the two telescoping members.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims considered together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the telescoping brush and housing in separated position.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the telescoping brush in the extended position.

FIGURE 3 is plan view of a section of the telescoping brush in extended position.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the two telescoping members in the initial movement to retracted position.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURES -1 and 2, the telescoping brush .10 is shown in the retracted position in FIGURE 1 and in the extended position in FIGURE 2. A substantially hollow longiutdinal member 14 has an open volume 42 for receiving the extended portion 16 that holds the brush bristles 18. The extended brush portion v16 has an upper surface 36 with the thickness from the bottom of the extended portion 16 to the top surface 36 being less than the distance from the bottom of the inner volume 42 of open member 14 to the upper inwardly projectingflanges 22 (see FIGURE 5). Accordingly the extended brush member 16 is readily telescoped by sliding the length of the cavity 14 and is held in this position by the frictional engagement of the overlapping shoulders 40 against the upper surface 36. While the entire structure may be made of plastic or of other suitable material, plastic is particularly desirable because it allows bending without deformation.

The extended member -16 has on the end adjacent to the other member 14, a raised surface 38 with finger contacting ridges 20. The raised portion 38 has a width equal to the distance between the inwardly projecting flanges 22 of member 14 and greater than the distance between the cars 44 and 46. Thus the upper portion 38 slides between the flanges 22. When extended the outer edges of the upper surface 38 contact the cars 44 and because of the resiliency of the light gage plastic construction, the sides of member 14 are moved outwardly so that the wider portion 38 can pass thereth-rough to a locked position as shown in FIGURE 4.

The length of the raised portion 38 corresponds to that distance between inwardly projecting cars 44 and 46. Accordingly when the raised portion 38 passes beyond the ears 44, the outer sides of member :14 then snap back'into original position with the ears 44 and 46 enclosing the ends of portion 38 and preventing longitudinal movement between members 14 and :16. The shoulders 22 overlap the edge surface 36 and maintain longitudinal support. The ears 44 and 46 prevent longitudinal movement except when a large compressive force is applied to the ends of the two members. The cars 44 and 46 have sufiicient positional rigidity to prevent longitudinal movement when using the brush 18 in the desired manner, such as for brushing teeth, dentures or the like.

The receiving member 14 has a handle projection 30 for supporting telescoping brush assembly and inserting it into the housing 12. Housing 12 has inwardly projectin-g longitudinal ridges '24 that fit over the upper surface -22 of the brush assembly and thus restricts the brush assembly from lateral movement in the housing. An end plate member 28 has a configuration corresponding 'with the opening in housing 12, that when assembled provides substantially flush closing of opening 26. Holes 32 and 34 provide air passage through the brush holder to facilitate drying brush bristles 18 following their use as a tooth brush.

OPERATION In operation the telescoping brush member 10 is removed fiom housing .12 by pulling on the handle 30. Thereafter with one hand holding member '14, the thumb or forefinger of the other hand is placed on the ridges 20 and the brush supporting member '16 is forced against inwardly projecting cars 44 causing the side walls of meme ber I14 to expand outwardly. The ears 44 then snap inwardly around the raised portion 38, locking the members 14 and 16 in extended position. After the'brush is used, force is applied to opposite ends of the brush holder and the unit is forced into telescoped position and the brush assembly :10 is then reinserted into the housing 12. 7

Various other modifications and constructions of this invention may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined in the following claims. 7

I claim: 1. A retractable denture and tooth brush comprising, a pair of telescoping members, one of said members being open on one side with inwardly projecting longitudinal shoulders, said other member having brush bristles on the upper surface and having a raised portion capable of fitting between the inner edges of said shoulders, said shoulders having inwardly projecting pairs of cooperating stops, said stops being spaced apart along the lengthtof said shoulders, and said stops and shoulders being sufficiently resilient to pass said raised portion and sufficiently rigid to lock said raised portion between said stops. 2. A retractable denture and tooth brush, and holder comprising,

a pair of telescoping members, one of said members being open on one side with inwardly projecting longitudinal shoulders, a longitudinal box shaped holder being open at one end, said holder having a pair of aligned inwardly projecting ridge members for frictionally fitting againstsaid Shoulders and holding said pair of longitudinal members in said holder, said other member having brush bristles on the upper surface and a raised portion capable of fitting between the inner edges of said shoulders, said shoulders having inwardly projecting pairs of cooperating stops, said stops being spaced apart along the length of said shoulders, Y and said stops and shoulders being sulficiently resilient to pass said raised portion and sufliciently rigid to lock said raised portion between said stops. 6. A retractable denture and tooth brush comprising, a pair of rectangular longitudinal members, one of said members being capable of telescopically receiving said other member, said one member being open on one side with inwardly projecting longitudinal shoulders, said shoulders overlapping said other member for holding said members together. in lateral dimension, said other'member having brush bristles on the upper surface and having a raised section that fits against the inner edges of said shoulders, said shoulders having spaced inwardly projecting pairs of cooperating stops, and said stops and shoulders being sufiiciently resilient to pass said raised longitudinal section and sufiicien-tly rigid to lock said raised longitudinal section between said pairs of stops. 4. A retractable denture and tooth brush comprising, a pair of rectangular longitudinal members, being made of plastic or like material, one of said members being hollow and capable of telescopically receiving said other member,

said hollow member being open at one end and one side with longitudinal shoulders projecting inwardly in said open one side and extending to said end,

said shoulders overlapping edges of said other member and pressing thereagainst for holding said members together in lateral dimension,

said other member having brush bristles on the upper surface at one end and the other end a raised .1on-,

gitudinal section of given length that fits against the opposing edges of said shoulders,

said raised section having laterally positioned spaced ridge portions on the upper surface,

said shoulders adjacent said one end having pairs of cooperating stops being spaced apart said given length along the longitudinal length of said shoulders,

said st-ops'comprising ears having adjacent edges pro- =jecting inwardly at a normal angle and opposite edges having surfaces inclined with said longitudinal shoulders,

said shoulders and the walls of said hollow member being sufficiently resilient to pass said raised longitudinal section between said pairs of stops,

and said other member being in extended position when said raised longitudinal section is locked between said stops.

5. A retractable denture and tooth brush and holder comprising,

a pair of rectangular longitudinal members being made of plastic or like material, one of said members being hollow and capable of telescopically receiving said other member,

said hollow member being open at one end and one side with longitudinal shoulders projecting inwardly in said open one side and extending to said end,

said shoulders overlapping edges of said other member and pressing thereagainst for holding said member together in lateral dimension,

a longitudinal box shaped holder being open at one end,

said holder having a pair of aligned inwardly projecting ridge members for frictionally fitting against said shoulders and holding said pair of longitudinal members in said holder, said other member having brush bristles on the upper surface at one end and on the other end a raised longitudinal section of given length that fits against the opposing edges of said shoulders, said raised section having laterally positioned spaced ridge portions on the upper surface, said shoulders adjacent said one end having pairs of cooperating stops being spaced apart said given,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 246,934 9/1881 Arment et a1. 15 l84 1,103,879 7/1914 Hoffman l5l84 2,486,062 10/1949 Ridner 15-l84 X 2,517,029 8/1950 Ridner 15l84 CHARLES A. WHsLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RETRACTABLE DENTURE AND TOOTH BRUSH COMPRISING, A PAIR OF TELESCOPING MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING OPEN ON ONE SIDE WITH INWARDLY PROJECTING LONGITUDINAL SHOULDERS, SAID OTHER MEMBER HAVING BRUSH BRISTLES ON THE UPPER SURFACE AND HAVING A RAISED PORTION CAPABLE OF FITING BETWEEN THE INNER EDGES OF SAID SHOULDERS, SAID SHOULDERS HAVING INWARDLY PROJECTING PAIRS OF COOPERATING STOPS, SAID STOPS BEING SPACED APART ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID SHOULDERS, AND SAID STOPS AND SHOULDERS BEING SUFFICIENTLY RESILIENT TO PASS SAID RAISED PORTION AND SUFFICIENTLY RIGID TO LOCK SAID RAISED PORTION BETWEEN SAID STOPS. 